Another entry in
the miserable-childhood-memoir genre. And
Jeanette’s truly was. Calling her
adoptive mother “Mrs. Winterson” throughout the book, the author both conveys
the coldness of her upbringing and her attempts to distance herself from her
horrific childhood. Told from an early age that her parents “got the wrong crib”
when she was adopted; dragged to frightening church services; locked out of the
house for minor offenses; and otherwise abused, her survival is miraculous. Although
she grew up, despite her mother’s best efforts, to become an educated woman and
successful author (Oranges are the only
fruit, et. al.), her sense of self-worth remained fragile and she finally had
a serious mental breakdown in mid-life.
Not for the faint-of-heart. 224
pp.
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